THE MORNING CONSTITUTIONAL LETS THE NCAA SPEAK

While the Morning Constitutional is usually reserved for EDSBS staff members to share bits of news and irreverence, today's edition contains a statement from the NCAA, which we are running at their request. We reiterate: the following are the words of the NCAA, and not EDSBS*.

*this is obviously a lie

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Many of you have taken the time to e-mail, tweet, or tag us in misspelled Facebook posts that contain links to malware. We respect your concerns about the recent events surrounding former Baylor student-athlete Silas Nacita and feel it is important to explain our stance on the matter.

Firstly, it should be reiterated that the NCAA has yet to declare Mr. Nacita ineligible for competition. Baylor University may have done so pursuant to our rules and as one of our member institutions, true. But we didn't do it. It's like when the babysitter makes you go to bed at 9:00 because those were the instructions your parents left. That's her ruling. Don't bring it back to mom and dad; we were out having enchiladas.

Nonetheless, many of you have objected to the lack of flexibility written into those rules. Countless times in the last 24 hours, we have been asked if we really think amateurism is more important than a young man having a roof over his head. To be frank, it has been hard for the Association to come up with anything that we think is more important than amateurism. Religious beliefs, country, even individual members of our own families - we've all deemed them less than. (And don't throw that Tuohy thing in our face. We did that so Sandy Bullock could get Oscar winning material, and we aren't sorry. Have you even seen "Practical Magic?" She is an underappreciated DELIGHT.)

But student well-being is not something we are willing to sacrifice in the name of amateur athletics. Therefore, the NCAA has recently come to an important conclusion: homelessness is a good thing.

Consider how many calamities can never befall America's homeless population by definition. Home invasions. Loss of a security deposit. Termite infestations. The NCAA believes young athletes should be free to wander and explore, both in and out of the classroom.

Not including transferring to another school, of course, because that's very different.

Having a residence does not guarantee a promising future. Certain anecdotal evidence suggests the opposite, actually. How many methamphetamine labs are set up in basements and garages? Isn't it fair to say that the Lindbergh baby would have been much safer in an alley with his parents? Without a home, wouldn't John Wayne Gacy just be a friendly, if unusual, neighborhood clown?

Our critics seem to want college sports to become a professional murderclown league. The NCAA was founded precisely to avoid such an outcome. And we'll continue to push for our student-athletes to wander the streets - because we care.